BERLIN, January 24. /TASS/. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz should veto deliveries of Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, Tino Chrupalla, co-chairman of the right-wing populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, said on Tuesday, according to his press service.
"Chancellor Scholz must finally show his commitment to peace and forbid Poland to hand battle tanks over to Ukraine. German tanks should not roll around Ukraine. The federal government should not drag Germany even further into the war," the politician said.
In her turn, Alice Weidel, the AfD’s second co-chairperson, stressed that the German-made Leopard 2 tanks should not be used against Russia in Ukraine. In her opinion, supplying these vehicles to Kiev will trigger another escalation of the conflict. "Germany is increasingly becoming a warring side with unpredictable consequences for our country," she pointed out. In her opinion, Scholz needs to "demonstrate that he supports peace and peace talks." "I clearly say: German tanks should not be used on Ukrainian soil against Russia," the politician concluded.
That said, she noted that the German head of government should speak out against these deliveries. "We cannot let other countries drag us into this war," Weidel said, specifying that Germany and Russia share a continent while "the US is far away. And as a result of pressure, the German government irresponsibly finds itself dragged into this war. We have to resist this," she concluded.
Earlier, the Polish government officially addressed the German government with a request to grant permission to hand Leopard tanks over to Ukraine. Warsaw also urged the German side to join the coalition of countries supporting Ukraine with Leopard 2 tanks. Previously, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki stated that Warsaw would form an alternative coalition of countries ready to supply tanks to Ukraine if Germany did not agree to transfer the armored vehicles. According to him, Poland has already made a decision to deliver a tank company (up to 14 vehicles) to Ukraine and will act at its own discretion regardless of Germany’s stance
As Bloomberg reported on Tuesday, Germany may approve Poland’s request on tank deliveries to Kiev as early as Wednesday.